By hewing close to genre origins, both visually and thematically (though not without some genuine innovations of his own), Lucas Pope has delivered one of the best games of the year, and certainly one of the best murder mystery games of all time.

This is a game I can not stop thinking about. I think about it at work -- either remembering crazy moments I didn't see coming, or reflecting on recently discovered information and its implications. This is absolutely a "thinking man's game," and it's one that I hope other developers (or Mr. Pope himself) decide to ape and expand on. Despite the fact that this isn't a detective game, I've never felt more like a dick.

The creator of Papers Please offers us a modern classic again.Return of the Obra Dinn uses an original and personal narrative in a development that makes us feel like true detectives. Visually it is an exercise in retro love and good taste. Lucas Pope delivers us one of the games of the year.

With an eye and an ear for the theatrical, the wonderfully evocative staging turns you into a horrified, fascinated voyeur; you might be late for the Obra Dinn's fateful voyage, but you have a front-row seat to its frequently thrilling demise. [Christmas 2018, p.122]

If you had to choose just one detective game, it should be that one. Return of the Obra Dinn is incredibly smart, has an amazing atmosphere and tells its story with great intelligence. A true masterpiece.

Delivers a wonderfully evocative method of storytelling as you gain glimpses into the lives of each person on board at vital moments along the Obra Dinn's journey and piece together who they were, what they had to deal, what motivated them, and how they responded when tragedy struck. You may only see them in scratchy monochrome stills and hear them in brief snatches of urgent conversation, if at all, but if you're paying attention then you should feel like you know (almost) every one of these sixty people intimately by the end of the game.

Return of the Obra Dinn has emerged after four years in development, and it was truly worth the wait. Pope takes us on a magical journey that may seem plain at first glance, but there’s plenty of excitement and beauty to be found here - if you’re willing to dig a bit deeper.

Return of the Obra Dinn is a bleak ditty but offers solid meat for puzzle fans to get their teeth into, with a similar love of paperwork and information cataloging that won fans for Pope’s previous title, Papers Please.

A wonderful work built with good taste and an intriguing – although simple – plot. A very responsive and functional menu helps during the difficult investigation, the graphic shows inventiveness. Sounds and Voice actors are overall great.

It's easy to respect something like Return of the Obra Dinn. Puzzling together clues from each death scene is tricky and rewarding, but the motivation for doing so is lacking. There's no one to care about on the ship, no reason to uncover the mystery other than to prove you've done it, and it holds the game back from being exceptional.

Return of the Obra Dinn takes the whodunit’s conventions and twists them into kaleidoscopic narratives that are perplexing and delightful. This isn’t merely a great game, it’s the work of an intense and creative intelligence.

The art style of this game is amazing. People don't understand how much work went into this game. The story is great along with the puzzleThe art style of this game is amazing. People don't understand how much work went into this game. The story is great along with the puzzle mechanics of this game. Some of them get really hard at the end. To me, this game is worth 20 dollars. I spent more on not so feature-rich games at $60+. I strongly recommend this game if you like murder mysteries with a puzzle element.…Full Review »